Tangled with a Twist
by KittyTheNerd
Summary: A runaway Who boy runs from guards trying to take him back to his father, when he stumbles upon a carefully hidden tower. What's inside will change his fate. The princess, gifted with long curly blue hair awaits, armed with a bow and arrow. Dedicated to goldenpeach95!
1. Chapter 1

A forest comes into view as the voice of a certain small who speaks, and a poster comes into view of a black haired who. The poster said "Have you seen me?" written at the top and the boy's name at the bottom of his picture. "JoJo McDodd."

JoJo: This is the story of how I died. Don't worry, this is actually a very fun story and it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl, named Merida, and it starts with the moon. Well, once upon a time, a single drop of moo light fell fro the night sky, and from this small drop of the moon, grew a magic sapphire flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured.

A white drop of moonlight falls from the pitch black sky, hitting a magical wisp along the way. After the drop hits the ground, a blue rose immediately grows from the ground, glowing a bright blue. An old woman appears.

JoJo: Oh, you see that old woman other there? You might wanna remember her, she's kind of important.

A scottish kingdom comes into view and we see a large red headed king, named King Fergus, and his petite brunette wife, Queen Elinor.

JoJo: Well, centuries passed and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom, called Clan DunBroch, which were rules by a Bear King, and his wise queen. The queen, who was expecting her first child, grew deathly ill. She was running out o time, so the king and the rest of the kingdom searched for the legendary blue rose.

The witch sings to the flower.

JoJo: This woman, whom we'll call the Witch, hid the flower and instead of sharing the moon's gift, she used it to keep herself looking young and beautiful for hundreds of years. How is this possible? Well, she sings a very special song.

Witch: Fate be changed, Look inside, Mend the bond, Torn by Pride.

The witch appears younger and more beautiful. She hears someone coming and runs off. The king and his soldiers appear and find the rose, digging it up. Fergus takes the flower and, very carefully, bakes it into a bun and feeds it to his wife.

JoJo: The magic of the sapphire rose healed the queen and right after, she gives birth to a healthy baby girl, named Merida, who had long healthy and very curly bright blue hair. To celebrate her birth, Fergus and Elinor released a flying lantern into the sky. And for a while, everything was perfect, but it didn't last long.

The witch comes into Merida's nursery and sings to her with a pair of scissors in her hand. She sings her flower tune and prepares to cut the one lock she held. After she cut it, the lock lost its glow and instead turned orange, contrasting the blue locks. Seeing no other choice, the witch steals her.

The king and queen heard crying coming from their daughter's room and decided to check up on her. They froze when they saw a woman holding their newborn and escaping out the window. They screamed as they saw a stranger disappear with their most precious possession, their only child.

JoJo: The witch broke into the castle, stole the baby, and just like that, gone. The entire clan searched, but the baby was nowhere to be found. Deep in the forest, in a well hidden tower, The Witch raised Merida as her own.

5 year old Merida has her hair brushed by the witch.

JoJo: The witch had found her new blue flower, but, the witch was determined to keep this one hidden.

Merida: Why can't I go outside?

Witch: The outside world is a very scary and dangerous place, filled with horrible selfish people, you must stay here to be safe, do you understand, my little rose?

Merida twirls the one lone orange curl before she answered. "Yes, Mummy."

JoJo: But the tower could not hide everything. Each year on her birthday, King Fergus and Queen Elinor released thousands of lanterns into the sky, for a new hope that someday, their precious little princess would come back home.

Merida sneaks out of bed to see the orangy lights in the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

16 years after the Witch kidnapped the infant princess, Merida climbed out of her window and admired the clear blue sky. A tune was on her tongue and longing was in her heart.

"Just 24 hours 'till my birthday, one day 'till the day I'm 16, a day which, I guess, will be spent more or less, like the last, oh, 6,000 I've seen."

Now, Merida didn't hate the tower, she just wished she could get out more. Her "Mother" made her stay in the tower at all times. And to make sure Merida couldn't leave, she gave her anything she wanted and made her do her chores. So, she decided to get started cleaning.

Seven A.M., the usual morning lineup  
Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean  
Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up  
Sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15

And so I'll read a book  
Or maybe two or three  
I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery  
I'll play guitar and knit  
And cook and basically  
Just wonder when will my life begin?

Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking  
Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess  
Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making  
Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb  
Sew a dress!

And I'll reread the books  
If I have time to spare  
I'll paint the walls some more  
I'm sure there's room somewhere  
And then I'll brush and brush  
and brush and brush my hair  
Stuck in the same place I've always been

And I'll keep wanderin' and wanderin'  
And wanderin' and wonderin'  
When will my life begin?

And tomorrow night  
Lights will appear  
Just like they do on my birthday each year  
What is it like  
Out there where they glow?  
Now that I'm older  
Mother might just  
Let me go

Not far from her tower, three boys were climbing the DunBroch castle walls, looking for a way in. Two of the boys were human twin boys, and the third was a black and grey striped Who boy. The twins were bad news, and the who was just tagging along. He was actually forced to do their dirty work.

JoJo, the Mayor's son, was a runaway, and was forced to do degrading thing for the two boys, for they threatened to take him back to Whoville to face the Mayor. JoJo just couldn't go back.

So, the twins, we'll call them Vince and Percy, were vile boys, who didn't care about authority, strapped a bungee cord around JoJo's waist and lowered him into an opening. JoJo saw his target. The boys heard of the missing princess and her crown, which was kept safe, surrounded by guards. JoJo knew he had no choice but to take it, or else Vince and Percy would beat him senseless or take him to face his father.

He slipped and almost lost the crown, but it caused a guard to look at him. JoJo and the crown were lifted up and all three boys made a break for it. JoJo decided enough was enough and when they saw a wall with the rope, which led to their hideout, JoJo climbed the rose and then used his pocket knife to cut the rope and he ran.

"Yopp Boy!" JoJo heard his capturers scream. He kept running. He saw guards behind him and used a vine to swing, but this caused JoJo to knock the guard off the horse, placing him on the stallion's back. The stallion recognized the boy and decided to attack him.

JoJo, being on the small side, was quick and escaped every bite and stomp the horse made. JoJo kept running, now for his life, as horses can kill people. JoJo finally found an opening covered with vegetation. He hid and walked back slowly. He found light shined on his and turned around. He saw a field and at the edge, next to a waterfall, there was a tower. JoJo heard a tiny whisper calling his name, which caused him to look down. There was a tiny blue orb. A wisp. He heard of these little creatures. They lead you to your fate. He saw a trail of wisps leading to the tower. JoJo heard the horse whinny in the distance, so he decided to climb the tower and see what awaited him.

As he climbed the tower, using the rope he cut earlier attached to a grappling hook, he wondered what was in the tower. He just didn't know the girl of his dreams was waiting for him.


	3. Chapter 3

JoJo entered the tower and shut the door. He looked all around, looking for anyone who might have lived here. Seeing no one, JoJo sighed, realizing he had the perfect hiding place, away from Vince and Percy. He sighed in relief. Then, he realized he still had his backpack with the stolen tiara in it. "Oh, Whozits!" He mumbled before he blacked out. As he fell, Merida stood behind him with one of her frying pans. She let out a squeal before she hid behind a dresser. Merida finally gathered the courage to come out and inspect the unconscious boy.

Very furry, like an animal, had very dark striped fur, dark hair, and weird looking feet. Merida used her right hand to brush a lock of hair from his face. She saw his face had a creamy pale complexion, his lips were a light gray, and right below dark thin eyebrows, his closed eyes made him look like he was asleep rather than knocked unconscious by cookery. Merida was almost hypnotized by how attractive he was. She wondered how in the world could this boy have the perfect combination of being adorable and handsome. She had never seen a boy before in her life, just in the books the Witch gave her. She quickly got one of her books and flipped the pages. Her finger landed on a page of animals with human intelligence. She recognized the creature that lay on her floor. The fur covered oddly shaped body, the beast like nose, and the ability to walk like a man, she knew what the boy was. He was a Who. A Who boy.

She heard stirring from the boy and she saw he had awoken. The boy started to get up. "Uh, what happened?" She panicked and hit him hard with the book. JoJo fell into unconsciousness again. Merida knew what to do. Luckily the Witch was gone to the Wickerman's festival in Stoneway, and wouldn't be back until next week. Surely, this boy could take her to the outside world, and take her to see the lanterns. She had dreamed about it since she could remember. So, she found a chair and lifted the boy into it. She used a few feet of her blue curls to tie him to it. Soon, he'll wake up and she'll demand that he takes her.

She took a look in the mirror and caught his backpack in the reflection. She picked it up and unzipped it. Merida saw something shine. She lifted the shining object and saw it was a tiara. The princesses in her books wore these on their heads, so Merida turned to the mirror and placed the crown on her head. The sliver band with turquoise gems looked beautiful.

She heard the boy stir again and decided to hide the tiara and backpack to hold for ransom. She hid it in a secret compartment she built. She hid herself with her frying pan in the dark and waited for come to.


	4. Chapter 4

Deep brown eyes fluttered open as JoJo came to. The first thing he noticed was the room was dark save for the light that shined above him. He tried to feel the pain behind his head, but felt his hands were bound. He looked down and saw blue curls held his arms and torso to the chair like a rope. JoJo took a closer look. The hair was a light blue with baby blue, navy, and teal loose strands curling around it. His gazed trailed around the room to see more and more hair. "Is all this...hair?" That's when he heard a voice. "Struggling won't work." JoJo saw a shadow. "Who's that?" The voice spoke again. "I know why you're here, and I'm not afraid of you." JoJo raised an eyebrow. "What?" Merida stepped into the light. JoJo saw the most beautiful girl he ever laid eyes on. She had the lightest pink skin, the bluest eyes, the most curvy figure, the cutest button nose, the tiny freckles, rosy pink lips, carrot colored eyebrows, her dress a dark teal hunting dress, and the blue hair that ted up JoJo and was piled all over the room belonged to the girl. JoJo noticed she had a frying pan in her hand and raised it above her shoulder in a swinging position. "Who are you and how did you find me?" JoJo was amazed by her beauty. He remembered the wisps and thought this girl was his fate. So, he decided to act like a gentleman to get on her good side. "Maiden far, with lovely blue hair, with skin as pink as a rose, may I just say- Hello?" Merida raised an eyebrow. "May I ask how are you, and how your day is going, fair lady?" Merida sighed and continued her questions. "How did you get here, and what is your name?" JoJo continued. "How rude of me, I apologize, I am JoJo McDodd." Merida grew impatient. "How did you get here?" She asked more fiercely. JoJo decided to drop the act and start getting to her level. "Okay, Freckles-" "It's Merida!" "Bless you, here's the thing, I was being chased, and I saw your tower and I decided to-" JoJo suddenly looked around in a panic. "Where is my backpack?" Merida smiled and crossed her arms. "I hid it" JoJo frowned. "Now, what do you want with my hair? To cut it, and sell it?" JoJo had a puzzled look on his face. "Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair is to literally get out of it!" "Wait, you don't want my hair?" "Why would I want it? What could I possibly do with it?" Merida thought long and hard. He seemed innocent enough. She continued to speak. "Okay, JoJo McDodd, I have a deal to offer. Do you know what this is?" JoJo saw Merida holding one of the lanterns. She retrieved it last year when the light gave out and if collapsed to the ground. JoJo looked at it with curiosity. "Yes, that's a lantern for the princess's birthday. They do it every year." Merida smiled. "Well, tomorrow night they will fill the sky with these lanterns, you must be my guide and take me to see them, then you will bring me back home, and then I will return your backpack. JoJo suddenly remembered that the guards will take him back to his father should they see him. "No way!" I'm wanted in the kingdom and my hometown, so I can't take you anywhere." Merida scowled. "Something brought you here, JoJo McDodd, destiny, a miracle-" JoJo cut her off. "A horse and a bunch of tiny blue ghost..." "I have made the decision to trust you and without my help, you'll never find your backpack, and if you don't take me, I'll turn you in." JoJo looked angry. "Are you blackmailing me?" Merida scowled. Both stared at each other. Their noses almost touched. JoJo broke the silence. "Okay, listen, I didn't want to have to do this, but I have no choice. Her comes the pout. JoJo widened his pupils, pouted his lips and quivered them. Merida did not change her heated look. "This is not my day, this never happens. Find, I'll take you!" "Good, let's get going." Merida smiled and untied him. She put on her cloak and grabbed her bow, some arrows and her frying pan, in a satchel. JoJo used the grappling hook to climb down. "You coming, Freckles?" Merida ignored that and hung her hair on the ceiling hook she uses when the Witch comes. She suddenly had second thoughts. She looked at the lantern she placed on the table and decided it was now or never. She grabbed her hair and swung down quickly. JoJo looked at her as she stepped onto the ground. "Why didn't I think of that?" Merida waited until he came down before the two walked to the opened JoJo came through. Merida looked all around the forest in amazement, for it was the first time she had ever see it. She started exploring. JoJo watched her admire the flowers and the birds and the sunshine. Merida sang small melodies. But, he noticed some changes. One moment she was happy, the next she was sad and crying. She kept mumbling something about a witch and how she should've stayed, or how great she felt about how she left. JoJo moaned. "Mood swings..."


	5. Chapter 5

Merida has no idea what was going on with her. She kept switching from happy to sad. A funny feeling in her stomach when she thought of the witch. She would be chewing on her ear for leaving the tower. Was she feeling... guilt? The guilt made tears fill her eyes. Finally, she plopped on the ground and started crying. JoJo went up to her and tried to comfort her. After all, having 96 sisters made him an expert at comforting a girl. "Freckles, maybe you should go back to the tower. You're too full of nerves to do this. " Merida shot him a look. "No, I'm seeing those lanterns! They mean something, and I have to know why!" JoJo sighed. "Nevermind." Merida cried until no more tears were left. JoJo stroked her curly hair the whole time. "There, there." Then, JoJo had an idea. "Hey, you hungry, I know a great place. They make great desserts." Merida smiled. "Sure." JoJo stood up and helped her up. The two walked for about a mile before they found a decent looking restaurant. "There, 'The Snuggly Duckling'. Let's find a table." They went inside and found a crowd. She had never seen so many people. There were humans like her, and Whos like JoJo. Before long, people and whos started staring at Merida. Merida quickly noticed two things. One, every human looked different. Their skin colors were ranged from very pale, beige, Medium dark, and very dark, their hair colors where either black, brown, auburn, or blonde. The Whos were all sorts of colors, like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, white, and ther furs had different styles. And two, unlike every human, she had blue hair, and it was 70 feet long.

JoJo pulled her to a table, but when they tried to sit down, Merida felt a tug. A little human boy was holding her hair. JoJo gently pulled the hair from his hands. "That's a lot of hair." JoJo told him, "She's growing it out. Run along now." JoJo sat Merida down and handed her a menu. "Just don't make eye contact." A waitress took their order and brough out their food. As soon as JoJo finished his who cakes and got his wallet out a very large human man came up to their table and slapped a poster on the table. "Is this you?" He growled, staring right at JoJo. JoJo saw the poster and gently mved the man's hand. JoJo saw one of his 'HAVE YOU SEEN ME?' signs. But, this one had a picture of JoJo with his thumb in his mouth and underneath the picture were the words: Ned McDodd begs for his baby boy back. Reward: $3,000 JoJo winced. "Oh, now he's just embarrassing me."

The man smiled. "Oh, it's him alright, Gizmo, go find a guard." The man grabbed JoJo. Merida was scared. She saw all the men grab JoJo, saying he was worth something. They fought over him. So, she got up and used her pan to hit some of the men, but nothing happeed. "Put him down!" She heard JoJo whimper. "Put me down, please." Merida realized she had to do something. She saw a loose beam over the crowd, so she used her hair to tie it and pulled it as hard as she could. She let go, the beam hitting the man who started the trouble. All the men stopped and looked at her. "Look, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because its my lifelong dream. Don't any of you have a dream?" The manhung JoJo up by the cruff on a coat rack and walked to her with a sword in his hands. JoJo was very scared a he was helpless and Merida was about to be indimidated by a bunch of thugs, and no doubt they would take him back to his dad. The man looked her straight in the eye. "I had a dream once." And a song had started.

"I'm malicious, mean and scary  
My sneer could curdle dairy  
And violence-wise, my hands are not the cleanest  
But despite my evil look  
And my temper, and my hook  
I've always yearned to be a concert pianist  
Can'tcha see me on the stage performin' Mozart?  
Tickling the ivories 'til they gleam?  
Yep, I'd rather be called deadly  
For my killer show-tune medley  
Thank you!  
'Cause way down deep inside  
I've got a dream!" The man started to play a piano and all the an started singing.

"He's got a dream!  
He's got a dream!"

"See, I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem!  
Though I do like breaking femurs  
You can count me with the dreamers  
Like everybody else  
I've got a dream!"

Another man came up, but this one was not as good looking as any other man. He started to sing as well.

"I've got scars and lumps and bruises  
Plus something here that oozes  
And let's not even mention my complexion  
But despite my extra toes  
And my goiter, and my nose  
I really want to make a love connection  
Can't you see me with a special little lady  
Rowin' in a rowboat down the stream?  
Though I'm one disgusting blighter  
I'm a lover, not a fighter  
'Cause way down deep inside  
I've got a dream  
I've got a dream!"

All the men sang the chourus.

"He's got a dream!  
I've got a dream!  
He's got a dream!"

"And I know one day romance will reign supreme!  
Though my face leaves people screaming  
There's a child behind it, dreaming  
Like everybody else  
I've got a dream."

Merida saw all the man sing abut all the other man's talents and dreams, with a smile for once.

"Tor would like to quit and be a florist  
Gunther does interior design  
Ulf is into mime  
Attila's cupcakes are sublime  
Bruiser knits  
Killer sews  
Fang does little puppet shows  
And Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns!"

All of a sudden, the men looked at JoJo and ased him something. "What about you?" JoJo's eyes widened. "I'm sorry? Me?" A man took him down. "What's your dream, lad?" JoJo pouted and crossed his arms. "I'm not singing!" All the men pulled ther sworeds and pointed at JoJo.

JoJo started dancing on a stage, as he wa being forced to. He had a nervous smile and tone t his voice.

"I have dreams, like you, no, really!  
Just much less touchy-feely  
It's a place full of glory!  
In a building that I own  
Tall and rested and alone  
It's my musical observatory!"

Merida got on stge with JoJo and started to sing." I've got a dream!"

"She's got a dream!"

"I've got a dream!"

"She's got a dream!"

"I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam!"

"Yeah!"

"And with every passing hour  
I'm so glad I left my tower,  
Like all you lovely folks  
I've got a dream!"

"She's got a dream!  
He's got a dream!  
They've got a dream!  
We've got a dream!  
So our diff 'rences ain't  
Really that extreme!  
We're one big team!  
Call us brutal  
Sick  
Sadistic  
And grotesquely optimistic  
'Cause way down deep inside  
We've got a dream!"

Merida danced happily with all the men as they sang the last line of the songs.

"I've got a dream!  
I've got a dream!

I've got a dream!  
I've got a dream!  
I've got a dream!  
I've got a dream!  
Yes way down deep  
Inside, I've got a dream!  
Yeah!"

The door burst open and Gizmo came in. "I found some guards." JoJo quickly pulled Merida and kept her under the counter. "Where's JoJo?" JoJo heard his dad. JoJo thought this was it. Then, the man grabbed the both of them and led them to a secret passage under the floor. "Go, live your dream."JoJo went under without hesitation. Merida hugged the man. "Thank you."

Ned looked everywhere. The guards helped him. Then, they heard a whinny. They turned and saw Angus. He sniffed the floor and tried to dig at the opening in the floor. "A celler!" The chief of the guards said. "Don't worry, Mister Mayor, we'll get your son in time for his Mayor training. Men, go down there!"


	6. Chapter 6

JoJo lit a candle and walked down a dark tunnel. He and Merida remained silent for a few seconds. JoJo really wanted to say something. He thought desperately to say something. He stole glances at Merida. She was currently twirling a strand of aqua colored hair as she kept her focus on the path. 'Come on, say something!' He thought. JoJo opened his mouth to speak. "So, that was some singing back there. You practice?" Merida looked at him. "Yeah, when one lives alone most of the time, one must do something to wear off boredom." Merida adjusted her cloak. "So, JoJo, where are you from?" JoJo froze, eyes widening. Memories were coming back. He shook them out of his head, trying not to get emotional. "Sorry, Freckles, I don't do back stories, however, I am very interested in yours." Merida smiled. "Okay, what do you want to know?" "Well, do you really live alone? How do you provide for yourself?" "Well, no. I live with the Witch, she comes by every few days with supplies for me, but other than that, I live by myself." JoJo tapped his chin. "So, if you wanted to go see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?" Merida stopped. Merida bit her lip and a look of worry etched across her face. "Uh, well...Ow!" She saw that a rock had hit her head from the tunnels' ceiling. The two saw the ground shake slightly.

JoJo's eyes widened in horror as he turned and saw shadows. "Run!" He grabbed Merida and the two ran, the girl gathering her locks as she ran. JoJo could hear his father's voice calling his name. The two kept running until JoJo saw an opening. They ran to a large cliff and saw a damn. "Now what?" They turned and saw some guards. "Who are they?" "They want me home." They saw a man who looked like JoJo, but with brown fur, hair, blue eyes, and a blue vest. "Who's that?" "He wants me home." They saw a black Clydesdale horse, the same one that chased JoJo to Merida's tower. "Who's that?" "Let's just assume everyone here wants me home."

Ned saw JoJo. "Joey?" Merida thought quickly. "Here!" She handed JoJo her frying pan and used her hair to lasso the edge of the damn. She swung to the bottom. JoJo saw some guards try to grab him under the Mayor's command. JoJo used the pan to hit every man unconscious. He saw the horse charge after him. The horse had a sword and now the boy and the horse were dueling. JoJo suddenly felt something grab his hand. He looked down and saw blue hair wrap around his hand. JoJo was tugged and he saw himself on the ground within seconds. Merida pulled the hair from the tall gorge and both ran. The horse decided to buck his hooves to the damn and it broke, flooding the cavern.

Ned panicked. "No, JoJo!" He saw his son and the mysterious girl disappear in a cave before it flooded with water. He tried to dive in the water. He felt the guards hold him back. "Let me go, my son is down there!" Ned broke free and swam for the bottom.

Meanwhile, JoJo and Merida were trapped in the cave and it was filling up with water fast. Both looked around for a way out. JoJo swam around while Merida hit the pan against the rock walls. JoJo came up to try to move some rocks, but pain entered his hand as a rock cut him. The blood started to stain his white fur. "It's no use, I can't see anything." Merida looked determined and dove in the water. JoJo brought her back up and looked her in the face. "Hey, there's no point, it's too dark down there." He brushed her blue hair behind her ear. Merida looked glum. "She was right, I never should have done this." Merida started to cry. "I'm so sorry, JoJo." JoJo sighed. "Okay, you got me." He decided to tell her the truth. "I ran away from home, that's why everyone's after me, I'm the Mayor's son." Merida smiled, tears still in her eyes. She wiped her nose before she confessed something. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing." JoJo couldn't believe what she was saying. "What?" Merida looked like she had an idea. "I have... magic hair that glows when I sing!" She looked at the water, which was rising quickly. "Fate be changed, Look inside, mend the bond, torn by pride." Both took a breath and went under.

JoJo saw a glow and opened his eyes. In the blurry water, she saw the most incredible ting. Merida's hair, was glowling brightly. The blue turned a bright glowing light blue, almost white. JoJo gasped, but covered his mouth to keep the air in his mouth. Mmerida opened her eyes and noticed her hair was being pulled to an opening at the bottom of the cave. The two quickly swam to it. JoJo and Merida both removed the rocks.

Before long, the two escaped and found themselves in a river. The two swam to the shore, gasping for air. Merida pulled her hair from her face. "We made it." The shock hit JoJo and all he could say was "Her hair glows". Merida pulled herself up and started to yank her hair from the river. "JoJo!" JoJo snapped ut from his shocked expression. "What?" "It doesn't just glow." She smiled. "Why are you smiling at me?" He asked, full of fear.


	7. Chapter 7

JoJo felt a little weirded out as Merida was wrapping her blue hair around his hand. The two had made camp near the river, built a fire and now were completely dried off. Merida was focusing on JoJo's injured hand. Merida finished wrapping. "JoJo, promise me something?" JoJo looked at her. "Of coarse, anything." Merida winced. "Just, don't freak out." JoJo raised an eyebrow. What was she talking about?

Merida closed her eyes and started to sing. "Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond, torn by pride. Merida's hair started to glow, like in the cave. The glow flowed all through her hair, each strand, all different colored, turned a glowing bright baby blue. Merida sang her song again, by the time the glow went to JoJo's hand. JoJo was amazed. Her singing caused this? How?

Merida opened her eyes and the glow stopped. She looked horrified at JoJo. JoJo unwrapped the hair from his hand, and was amazed when he saw no cut, and the pain was gone. 'How did she do that?' All kinds of questions ran through his head, but he couldn't decide which one to ask. He became overwhelmed, and opened his mouth to scream in horror. Merida quickly covered his mouth. "Pleasedon'tfreakout!" JoJo still held his mouth open, but tiny squeaks came out. He removed her hand and spoke. "I'mnotfreakingoutareyoufreakingoutnoI'mjustveryaazedbyyourhairandthemagicalqualitiesitpossesses." JoJo realized he was speaking too fast. He cleared his throat. "How long has it been doing that?"

Merida smiled. "Forever, since birth, I guess." She looked unhappy for a moment. "The witch says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it and keep it for themselves." She brushed back some hair and revealed one lock that was very different from the rest of her hair. "Once its cut, it turns orange and loses its power." JoJo looked at the one orange lock. True, it was a bright orange, with tiny strands of light orange and red joining it. "A gift like this, it has to be protected." Merida twirled the orange lock. "That's why Witch never let me, *sigh*, that's why I never left, and..." She sighed and looked away.

JoJo suddenly felt understanding. "You never left that tower." He said. Merida looked at him with a look that meant he was right. "And you still wanna go back?" Merida looked scared. "No! Yes?" She covered her face. "It's... complicated." JoJo pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, Merida."

The girl pulled her hair away in a sigh. She looked at JoJo. "So, the mayor's son, huh?" JoJo sighed. "Well, yeah, I'll spare you my story, I was a bit of a... downer, so to speak." Merida scooted closer to him, waiting for more. JoJo laughed. "Okay, it all started when my dad started talking to me about becoming mayor, I was excited at first, and I wanted to make my dad proud. I realized not all sons make their fathers proud, and I didn't want to disappoint him, so I started reclusing myself and started making music. It was therapeutic. I decreased talking to my dad to stop him from being disappointed in me. He kept trying to tell me all the great things about being mayor. One event, however, made me start talking again." JoJo decided to not tell her about his heroic deed with Horton, as she spent her whole life locked away, she probably wouldn't believe him. "The mayor talks got worse. So, I ran away. I've been on the run ever since, some boys who hated me made me their servant. That's why I am on the Wanted signs and the Missing Person signs."

Merida blinked. "Wow." JoJo looked at her. "You can't tell anyone, it could ruin my reputation with my dad." Merida laugh. "We wouldn't want that." JoJo blushed when he saw he beautiful blue eyes. Embarrassed, he stood up. "I'm gonna get some more firewood." He started walking away, but stopped when Merida spoke. "Hey, for the record, I don't think you're a disappointment." JoJo looked at the hand she healed. "Well, you'd be the first, thank you." He walked away.

Merida sighed. She jumped when she heard a voice behind her. "Well, I thought he'd never leave." Shocked, she looked behind her, seeing a person she didn't want to see. "Witch? How did you find me?" "That doesn't matter, we're going home." The witch grabbed her hand. "No, you don't understand, I had great fun today, and I even met someone." "Yes, the missing boy, I'm so proud." The witch pulled her. "No, I think, I think he likes me." Merida cooed. "Likes you, please, Merida, he likes to lie, and steal and cheat. He's using you." Merida looked angry. "He is not! I made a deal with him!"

The witch pulled out JoJo's backpack from her cloak. Merida was shocked. "How did you...?" "You were never good at hiding things, you left this in my cauldron, and I figured out who you went with when I saw the book of Whonatomy open on the shelf." Merida yanked her arm away. "I'm not going with you, I have to see the lanterns." The witch looked angry. "Fine, give this to him, and you'll see, he'll leave you in the dust within a second, and I'll tell you I told you so." The witch swept off.

Merida held the crown in her hand with fear in her heart. Surely JoJo wouldn't lie to her, or leave her in the dust. She suddenly had second thoughts. She heard JoJo coming. The boy struggled to carry a huge pile of firewood. He saw Merida wasn't moving from her spot. "Hey, Freckles, you okay?" Merida turned. "Aye, just lost in thought I guess." JoJo shrugged. "Well, I found some berries and nuts, perhaps we could hunt some game for supper. Then, we'll head to bed, get to the kingdom in the morning for the lanterns tomorrow night." Merida still looked unsure. "Okay."

Deep in the woods, the witch, teamed with Vince and Percy, watched the two. Vince started to get up, but the witch stopped him. "Patience, boys. It's a virtue."


	8. Chapter 8

The sunshine shone all over the land the next morning. Merida had wrapped her curly blue hair around her body, warming her like a blanket. She slept peacefully. JoJo, just a few yards away, was using a rock as a pillow. The boy was snoring, until he felt a drip fall on his cheek. he sleepily opened his eyes and saw the black horse that was chasing him the day before. It was mad and dripping wet.

Merida shot up awake when she heard a scream. She saw JoJo being dragged by his foot by the horse. JoJo clawed the ground, hoping to get away from the stallion. "No no no no Put me down, stop it, let me go!" Merida ran to the boy and grabbed his arms. She pulled, having a tug of war with the horse. "Gimme him!" She shot a glare at the horse. The Clydesdale horse shook his head. Merida let go, letting the boy dangle from the horse's mouth. "Easy boy, easy, settle down. Easy." The horse looked into Merida's eyes and he stopped moving. Something in those eyes hypnotized him.

"Now sit." The horse immediately obeyed. JoJo looked up, or rather down since he was upside out. "What?" Merida pointed to the ground. "Now drop the boy." The horse furrowed his brow. Merida glared at the horse. "Drop him..." The horse obeyed, dropping JoJo on the ground and letting JoJo scamper behind Merida. Merida smiled and started petting the horse. "Oh, you're such a good boy, yes you are." The horse wagged his tail like a dog. JoJo widened his hazel eyes in amazement.

"You all tired from chasing this bad boy all over the place?" Merida asked the stallion, hugging it like a doll and stroking his mane. JoJo looked at her like she lost her mind. "Excuse me?" Merida ignored him and kept hugging the horse, earning neighs. "Nobody appreciates you, do they?" JoJo spoke up. "Oh, come on, Merida, it's a horse." "Oh, he's nothing but a big sweetheart, isn't that right?" She looked at his horse collar. "Angus?" JoJo crossed his arms. "You've got to be kidding me." Angus shot a glare at the boy. Merida got between them. "Look, today is the best day of my life, and the thing is, I need you not to get him taken back to his father." Angus scoffed. "Just for 24 hours, and then you can chase him to your heart's content."

JoJo couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he didn't argue with her. He held out his hand for the horse to shake. Angus scoffed and looked away. "And it's also my birthday, just so you know." Merida added shyly. Angus sighed and turned to JoJo, shaking his hand.

Merida's eyes wondered to the opening in the trees, which showed an amazing castle. She broke the locked hand and hoof and walked on. Angus waited until Merida wasn't looking before he stomped his foot in JoJo's chest, knocking all the wind out of the boy before he fell. "Oh, you son of a..." "JoJo! Look at this! It's amazing!"


	9. Chapter 9

Merida's sea blue eyes widened in wonder as she took the amazing sight. The grey castle walls, the draw bridge. She gasped in delight as she took a shaky step across the draw bridge to see the kingdom grounds inside. Merida smiled as she saw everything as far as her sparkling eyes could see.

Stands of all kinds stood in aisles, delicious sells of food and fresh flowers, and the people. Oh, the people. Humans and Whos walked and talked about so. Merida noticed the humans and Whos looked very different from each other. The humans were all muscular, and very little hair compared to the Whos, who, like JoJo, were covered in fur. It was very different fro her book. It was funny how things can be very different from her books. There was so much to learn, to see, to feel. And Merida couldn't wait to get started.

One problem, though. As Merida tried to walk through the crowd, all things were catching up with her hair. People's feet and carts caught and pulled her long blue hair. JoJo noticed and gathered most of her hair as she did the same. JoJo pondered and looked around for an answer to what they were both thinking. How were they supposed to celebrate Merida's birthday with her magical hair in the way?

JoJo noticed four little human girls sitting in the grass braiding each others hair in a train. They ranged from ages 4 to 10, had dirty blonde hair, and looked like sisters because they wore similar green and tan dresses. JoJo whistled to them. The girls all looked at him. "Hey, girls, you wanna braid all this?" JoJo asked as he held up the hair. The girls' brown eyes all lit up as they gasped as if they've seen pure gold for the first time. They immediately nodded and sat Merida down. They took hair brushes and combs and started brushing the long curly blue hair, making it softer and easier to work with. JoJo watched as they braided her long hair. He leaned against a fence, ducking when he saw some guards. He'd have to keep a low profile if he didn't want to get caught.

When the girls were finished, JoJo saw what a good job they did. Merida's hair was all contained in one long thick braid, a few dark blue and teal strands curling up outside the braid. Several flowers decorated her braid. Clovers, roses, sunflowers, lilacs, and baby's breath. JoJo thought she looked beautiful. Angus gave JoJo a smug look. JoJo shoved his away playfully, making the stallion whiny a laugh.

JoJo paid the girls a gold coin each and they were off. Merida stood behind JoJo in a line to get some bread and cheese for their breakfast. Her eyes caught sight of a large painting on a wall. The painting was surrounded by a red who woman and her two young children. The oldest was a little girl, who held a clover, and she placed it at the base of the painting, saying it was 'for the lost princess'. Merida looked at the painting. It was a large human man with red hair, blue eyes, and wore a dark teal shirt and kilt with a crown and sword. Along beside him was a slim woman with long brown hair, brown eyes, wore a green dress and a crown. In the woman's arms was a little bundle. The little baby looked like a girl, but Merida thought this baby looked oddly familiar. She had sparkling blue eyes, the pinkest of light skin, and curly blue hair.

Merida heard some music and decided to follow it. JoJo came back him his purchase to see Merida sitting cross legged listening to the upbeat melody of guitars, violins, drums, and flutes. Merida saw him as he sat down next to her. He handed her the food and they listened for a while as they ate. Before long, Merida saw some people dancing to the music. "Hey, JoJo, can you play music?" JoJo smiled. "Actually, I can."

JoJo picked up a cello and started playing it. Merida listened to every note. When JoJo finished the song, he saw Merida was in awe. She saw more people dancing and decided to join them, pulling JoJo along. JoJo and Merida were engaged in a dancing crowd. But, they didn't just dance that day. Most of the day, they visited shops and stands. Merida was learning so much about the world outside her tower. She never wanted this day to end. She was having too much fun.

The last dance of the evening was ended when JoJo and Merida in the final position. JoJo met with her eyes and he blushed at how beautiful she was. JoJo finally knew what was happening to him. He was falling in love with her. Merida met up with his eyes. She always thought JoJo was adorable, but right now, he looked irresistible. Merida realized she was developing a crush on him.

"To the boats!" Someone shouted. The black haired boy and blue haired girl backed away from each other and blushed. JoJo took her hand and led her to a dock. He helped her into a little boat. JoJo looked at Angus. "Here you go, buddy." JoJo tossed him a bag with contained green apples. "Don't worry, I bought them." As Angus ate the apples, JoJo started rowing the boat. Merida looked him in the eyes. "Where are you taking me?" JoJo smiled. "Well, it is the best day of your life, I figured you should have a decent seat fr the show."


	10. Chapter 10

JoJo rowed the boat to the middle of the lake. They had the perfect view of the castle. Anytime now, the lanterns will fill the night sky with their signature blue glow. Merida felt odd. She twirled a loose teal strand of hair and she bit her lip. JoJo noticed.

"Are you okay?" Merida looked at him. "I'm terrified. All my life I've looked out my tower window, dreaming about this moment. What if it isn't what I've always dreamed it would be?"

JoJo placed his hand on her arm.

"It will be."

Merida blinked. "And what of it is? What do I do then?"

JoJo pondered for a moment.

"Well, that's the best part. You get to find a new dream."

Merida smiled with her perfect white teeth. Both stared up at the sky.

Queen Eliot adjusted her husband's tartan and kilt. As she did, she noticed there were tears in his eyes. Her face was full of sorrow as well. They list their daughter when she was just a wee lamb. But, they made a promise. They looked at their triplet sons, 6 years old, and they walked onto the balcony. The lantern awaited. It was pale blue with a sword stitched into the fabric. Fergus and Elinor looked into each others eyes before they lit the lantern and lifted it into the sky, hoping that their princess would find it this year.

"Happy 16th birthday, Merida."

Elinor let out a tear as she watched the rest of the lanterns joined theirs.

Merida took flowers from JoJo's hand placed it in the water. She looked into the water and saw something glowing in the water's reflection. Her eyes widened as she looked up. There were the lanterns.

All those days watching from the window

All those years outside looking in

All that time never even knowing

Just how blind I've been

Merida stood up, nearly tipping the boat as she watched the lanterns floating into the sky. The dark sky quickly contrasted the glowing blue lanterns.

Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight

Now I'm here, suddenly I see

Standing here, it's all so clear

I'm where I'm meant to be

Merida smiled as her dream was coming true. She waited her whole life for this.

And at last I see the light

And it's like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

Despite the utter joy she was feeling, Merida had something on her mind. She looked at JoJo. He held two lanterns.

All at once everything looks different

Now that I see you

Merida sat down. She giggled. "I have something for you too." She pulled out JoJo's backpack. He looked surprised.

" I should've given it to you before but I was scared. And now, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

JoJo smiled and took the backpack from her, placing it next to her. "Believe me, I do." Merida smiled before both lifted their lanterns to the sky.

All those days chasing down a daydream

All those years living in a blur

All that time never truly seeing

Things, the way they were

JoJo gazed at Merida. She looked so beautiful. She was smiling and looked so alive. She lifted a stray lantern into the sky.

Now she's here shining in the starlight

Now she's here, suddenly I know

If she's here it's crystal clear

I'm where I'm meant to go

JoJo took her hand. Merida looked at him and felt a surge of happiness shoot through her. They held hands as they started to sing.

Both: And at last I see the light

JoJo: And it's like the fog has lifted.

Both: And at last I see the light

Merida: And it's like the sky is new

Both: And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once, everything is different

Now that I see you, now that I see you

JoJo stroked her hair and placed his hand behind her head. Merida leaned in for a kiss. Their lips were so close to touching when JoJo's gaze went to the edge of the lake, where two familiar faces stared at him, holding a glowing green lantern.


	11. Chapter 11

Merida twirled a lock of baby blue hair as JoJo stopped rowing the boat out in the middle of the lake. JoJo noticed her expression. She looked nervous. "Hey, you okay?" Merida bit her lip. "I'm terrified. I've spent my whole life, dreaming of this moment. What of its not like I always dreamed it would be?" JoJo brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "It will be." Merida sighed. "And what if it is? What do I do then?" JoJo wasn't the best at comforting, but he gave his best answer. "Well, that's the best part, I guess. You get to find a new dream." Merida smiled and then swirled her finger in the water.

Queen Elinor adjusted her King's attire. Her gaze went to his sad sea blue eyes. King Fergus was the toughest in all the land, but the king's eyes welled up with tears. Elinor knew why. This time of the year was always the hardest for them. Elinor let out a single tear as she set her delicate hand on his cheek. Fergus sighed and took her hand. The two composed themselves and opened the door to the balcony overlooking their kingdom. A lantern, decorated with blue cloth with a navy sword stitched into the fabric awaited them. Along with the lantern, a couple was waiting with a lantern of their own. The man was a who, Ned, and his wife, Sally. After seeing his son "die" at the water tunnel, Ned asked if the Whos could share the celebration as also being the anniversary of his son's death. Fergus and Elinor were baffled at first, but they agreed. Sally held a small blue lantern with JoJo's name stitched into the fabric. Using a match, the king and queen lit the lantern and lifted it to the sky. Ned and Sally followed persuit. With a tear, Ned watched as the lantern floated up to the sky. After the two lanterns were freed into the air, the kingdom let go of their lanterns and they floated in the night sky.

Merida used the flowers decorating her braid to place in the water, when she saw a glow in her reflection. Merida widened her eyes as she looked up, seeing the thing she dreamed of since she was small. A song started in her mind as she stood up and grabbed the back of the boat to balance herself.

All those days watching from the windows

All those years outside looking in

All that time never even knowing

Just how blind I've been

Now I'm here blinking in the starlight

Now I'm here suddenly I see

Standing here it's all so clear

I'm where I'm meant to be

Merida rested her head on her fist as she gazed at the lanterns filling up the dark sky with their bright blue glow. It was so beautiful, she thought she was about to cry.

And at last I see the light

And it's like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything looks different

Now that I see you

Merida wondered if JoJo was thinking the same things she was. She had to thank him for taking her to see the lanterns. She turned and saw JoJo had two lanterns in his hands. He smiled at her. Merida giggled and sat down across from him. "I have something for you, too." Merida pulled out the backpack. JoJo looked shocked. "I should've given it to you before, but I was scared. And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore." Merida looked bashful for a second as she looked into JoJo's eyes. "You know what I mean?" JoJo smiled and set the backpack on the floor of the boat. "I'm starting to." Merida smiled and took a lantern from him. The two lifted the lanterns into the sky as a song started in JoJo's head.

All those days chasing down a daydream

All those years living in a blur

All that time never truly seeing

Things, the way they were

Now she's here shining in the starlight

Now she's here suddenly I know

If she's here it's crystal clear

I'm where I'm meant to go

JoJo took in her beauty as he took her hand. Merida looked at him and something clicked. They two proclaimed their love as they started to sing out loud.

And at last I see the light

And it's like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything is different

Now that I see you

JoJo brushed a lock of her hair before they sang the last line of the song.

Now that I see you

The boy leaned in to kiss the girl. Their lips nearly touched, when...


	12. Chapter 12

When JoJo rowed the boat to the shore, Merida was confused as to why he pulled away from their attempted kiss and wanted to go back to shore so suddenly. She saw he picked up his backpack.

"Everything's okay, I just need to take care of something."

Merida forced herself to smile. "Okay."

JoJo gave a reassuring smile and turned to walk. He made it to where Percy and Vince where.

"Okay, guys, here you go."

JoJo tossed the backpack at Percy's feet.

"I wish you the best."

JoJo went to turn and walk back, but Vince grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"We're not finished here!"

JoJo raised an eyebrow.

"We heard you found something. Something much more valuable than a measly crown. We want her, instead!"

JoJo's eyes widened. He knew exactly what they were talking about.

Merida leaned against the boat, twirling a loose strand of hair. The sound of feet kicking a stray rock caught her attention. Turning her gaze to where JoJo walked towards, she saw a dark silhouette walking towards her in the faint moonlight.

"Took you long enough. I was starting to think you ran off and left me with the crown."

Fear entered Merida as she saw a second figure appear next to the first one. Not only that, but as they got closer, she realized they were bigger than JoJo. Two evil looking whos stared back at Merida.

"He did."

Merida frowned. "What? No! He wouldn't."

"See for yourself."

Percy pointed out to a boat taking water in the middle of the lake. Merida could see JoJo was driving that boat. "JoJo!" He didn't turn and answer her call. "JoJo!" Still nothing. Merida felt heartbroken.

"Fair trade, if you ask me."

Merida turned to Vince.

"A crown for the girl with the magic hair."

Merida gasped. JoJo traded her for the crown. Was she nothing to him?

Vince turned to his brother. "How much do you think people would pay to stay young and healthy forever?"

Percy laughed and opened a sack, large enough for Merida to fit in. He started walking towards her.

"No! Please! No!"

Merida turned and ran. As she turned a corner, a lone log grasped her hair, stopping her run. 'Curse this hair!' She tugged at her thick braid, stopping when she heard two loud thuds.

"Merida?"

Merida heard that voice and recogized it.

"Witch?"

She walked to see the Witch with a large branch and the two whos unconscious at her feet.

"Oh, my precious lamb."

Merida ran to hug the witch.

"Are you alright, dearie? Are you hurt?"

Merida struggled to find the words to say, but couldn't say anything. But, the witch knew what she was thinking.

"I followed you. Let's go before they wake up."

Merida looked at the boat that JoJo was steering. She felt heartbroken and tears flooded her eyes. She ran into the open arms of the witch.

"You were right, Witch."

"I know, dearie, I know."

JoJo regained consciousness and he looked around. He saw he was tied up to a boat in the captain's seat, with his hands tied to the steer. The crown was tied to one of his hands and when he looked up, the castle guards were on their way down to get him.

"Wait! You don't understand, she's in trouble! Wait!"

Angus saw the guards taking JoJo to the prison, while across the lake, he saw Merida walking into the woods with a strange woman.


End file.
